Articles by Philip Brasher

Congressional leaders have reached agreement on a fiscal 2016 omnibus spending bill that would repeal the country-of-origin labeling rules for beef and pork, but the deal would fail to block states from requiring the labeling of biotech products.

The fate of the country-of-origin labeling law for meat is hanging on a massive spending bill that could be released on Monday, and the food industry has been clinging to hopes that a measure preempting state GMO labeling laws also could be included.

The seed industry is scrambling to head off an effort by a small Mississippi company to use a year-end spending bill to renew its expired, patent-like protection for a variety of ryegrass. Officials with the American Seed Trade Association say extension of plant variety protection

With chances for a year-end deal on GMO labeling all but gone, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee said it would be a top priority early next year.

Three years after he was ousted from the House Agriculture Committee, Kansas Republican Tim Huelskamp landed a coveted spot on the panel that makes GOP committee assignments.

Canada and Mexico called on the Senate to eliminate the country-of-origin labeling law for meat, and Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts expressed confidence that a repeal measure would be included in a year-end spending bill.

Democrats are seeking a long-term extension of wind power subsidies and reauthorization of the lapsed Land and Water Conservation Fund in return for ending the ban on oil exports. Republicans are seeking to use negotiations on a broad year-end tax package to lift the oil expo

Lawmakers are taking it down to the wire this week as they negotiate sweeping deals on spending and tax policy. Federal spending authority runs out Friday but the deadline will almost certainly be extended temporarily to give the talks more time.

Cotton growers are stepping up their push for new subsidies that could cost as much as $1 billion annually, according to the Agriculture Department0s internal estimates. The industry, which is struggling to deal with a sharp decline in cotton prices, is asking USDA to allow

USDA is overhauling its Process Verified Program (PVP) with an eye to handling a flood of requests for certifying non-GMO food labels. The Agricultural Marketing Service is consolidating PVP into a single administrative structure to ensure that the management and implementation is